July 2020 | Page 08
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Corona And The Gospel
Mr. John Thomas, Senior Missionary, Vizianagram, AP
Coronavirus is spreading fast these days.
Fear and anxiety is mounting in the hearts of each
and every one on this planet, from poor to the rich,
from country men to the urbane, from illiterate to
the elite, from common subject to the country's
President. All are panic stricken. Daily statistics
are shocking as to what tomorrow would bring!
Institutions, industries, schools and shops are all
closed down because of “Lockdown”. Economy of
nations is under threat. Things have come to a
grinding halt.
On the other hand, there is a blame game
going on internationally, as to who could be the
cause of this pandemic. To my understanding, it
is we, as the citizens of the world, are to be
blamed. We have corrupted the world that God
had prepared for us to live, with violence,
immorality and misuse of the planet. In other
words, man has filled the world with sin. Sin is
another virus that spreads faster than Corona,
more powerful and more dangerous. World may
have a question as to why should a God of love
hurt us with this plague. But it is for our good.
Suppose we have a hernia problem, the surgeon
has to cut open our belly to cure us. It hurts us,
but eventually, gets cured. Sovereign God has
allowed this for the world to realize and redirect its
ways toward God.
The first man Adam was alienated from
God because of sin. This sin virus got into his
DNA. Now the whole human race, being Adam's
offspring, has this sin virus infected into our
DNAs.
“Just as through one man sin entered the
world, and death through sin, and death spread to
all men, because all sinned” (Rom 5:12).
Although scientists struggle in laboratories,
no remedy or preventive vaccine could be
discovered for Coronavirus. But God in His love
and mercy, has provided a vaccine for our sinvirus.
Do you know how was smallpox
eradicated? It was with a vaccine from the
smallpox virus itself. The virus of the smallpox
was injected to calves. Then crisscross incisions
were made on the belly skin of the animal. After a
set time, the virus caused boils to erupt on the
belly. Then the puss of those boils was scraped
out, sent to the laboratory and the vaccine was
made. To deliver us from smallpox, the animal
had to go through the pain and suffering taking
the virus on its body, on our behalf. Are you able
to see the similitude of this truth in Christ who
died on the cross taking the sin-virus upon
Himself on our behalf?
“He (God) made Him who knew no sin to be
sin for us, that we might become righteousness of